MVP Message

Preacher: Lee Schriber Aber || Minister of Engagement & Discipleship

Scripture: Exodus 3:1-15

In the book of Exodus, the wilderness is where God shows up—in a burning bush, in the act of remembering, in waters that part, in bread sent from heaven, in ten rules for how to live, and in reminders of how to stay on course rather than lose our way. While these stories teach us much about Moses and the Israelites, they also remind us that the wilderness is not only a place on an ancient map; it is also a place we find ourselves when the future is uncertain, the old ways no longer work, and we are searching for God’s presence and direction. Join us this fall as we embrace lessons from the wilderness, discovering that the wilderness is not simply where we get lost, but can also be where we meet God, receive what we need, learn who we are, and discover a new way forward.

This week, we meet Moses in the wilderness, far from the life he once knew. Before him, a bush blazes with a fire that refuses to consume it, and God tells him that the ground beneath his feet is holy. What if the wild and uncertain places of our own lives can become holy ground too—places where God meets us, calls us by name, and opens us to something new? Join us this week, as we begin our journey into the wilderness together, watching for the holy ground we might find along the way.

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol || Pastor

Scripture: Romans 12:1-21

In Romans 12, Paul invites followers of Jesus to let the goodness, love, and mercy of God reshape every aspect of their lives. The reshaping begins with a transformed mind before impacting the way we love one another, serve with humility, extend compassion, welcome difference, and meet difficult people with grace. What might happen when this way of life becomes more than an ideal or individual calling, but the shared rhythm of a community?

Join us this week as Faith on Foot concludes by journeying along the Camino de Santiago, where pilgrims discover that the road is never meant to be walked alone and where people regularly glimpse something of the beautiful, challenging, transformative community Paul describes—one that makes all the difference to those who belong to it and everyone whose path crosses it.

Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol || Pastor

Scripture:Matthew 15:21-28

In Matthew 15:21–28, Jesus encounters a Canaanite woman who refuses to be turned away. She comes seeking healing for her daughter, persists through silence and rejection, and finally insists that even the crumbs that fall from the table are enough. Her persistence opens a difficult and remarkable encounter across boundaries of religion, ethnicity, and belonging—and raises questions about who gets welcomed to the table, whose voices we are willing to hear, and where faith can be found.

Join us this week for Faith on Foot: Lessons from the Camino as we explore what happens when faith persists, boundaries are crossed, and grace is discovered in unexpected places. The Camino teaches that we do not always receive what we expect along the way; sometimes grace arrives through a stranger, a small kindness, an unexpected conversation, or what first appears to be barely enough. Together, we will explore what this persistent woman can teach us about faith, belonging, and a grace that refuses to remain contained by the boundaries we create.

Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol || Pastor

Scripture:Psalm 23 & Matthew 14:22-33

For more than a thousand years, pilgrims have journeyed to Santiago de Compostela, Spain, where the remains of the apostle James are believed to rest. Following yellow arrows that wind through France, Portugal, and Spain, more than 500,000 people set out each year in search of something deeper than a destination. Some go for the physical challenge or sense of adventure. Others are longing for community. Many are seeking healing, hope, purpose, or a deeper connection with God. Along the way, pilgrims often discover that the greatest transformation happens not at the end of the journey, but in the walking itself.

Join us this week as we begin our August worship series, Faith on Foot: Lessons from the Camino, as we explore the wisdom of pilgrimage and the ways God meets us along life's winding paths. Through Scripture and stories from the Camino, we'll discover that faith is not simply about arriving at our destination. It is about learning to walk with God, one faithful step at a time.

Preacher: Katherine Burns, Artist & Member of the MVP Community

Genesis 32:22-31

Have you ever felt frustrated by someone else’s communication style? Most of us long for clarity, certainty, and control. Like Jacob in Genesis 32, many of us wrestle with uncertainty and doubt. Not only do we have strong ideas on what we want from God, but we often feel deserving of an occasional blessing! But what happens when the answers we long for don’t come? Join us this week as we ponder what happens when faith doesn’t give us immediate answers.

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

The Gospel of Matthew uses the term, "kingdom of heaven" or "kingdom of God" more than any other writer in the New Testament. We hear or read these words and are often tempted to imagine a place—perhaps like the one described in Revelation where mourning and crying and pain will be no more. But what if the kingdom of heaven is not a place but a verb—the movements of ordinary people who have trained themselves to walk through life more slowly, allowing their eyes to see and ears to hear where they might be able to make a difference?

Join us this week as we learn about some of the kingdom builders from our community's past and the incredible role they played in the life of our congregation, followed by a pondering of how God might be eager to use some of our simple deeds—including those we may think no one actually sees—today.

Preacher: Rev. Dr. Donna Claycomb Sokol, Pastor

Romans 8:12-25 & Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

What if the most powerful thing in your life right now is something you cannot even see? In Matthew 13, Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven as a seed—small, hidden, and easy to overlook. Yet that seed grows into something life-changing and world-shaping. Where is this seed taking root today? How do we recognize it in our own lives? And what does it mean to plant and nurture it in a world that values what is immediate and visible?

What if the question is not whether you are wheat or weeds? In one of Jesus’ more challenging parables, we are invited to consider that the real work of faith is not sorting people into categories. Instead, it is honestly examining what keeps God’s intentions for our lives from flourishing within us.

Join us for part one of this two-week miniseries as we explore how the kingdom of God takes root, grows in unexpected ways, and invites us to become the people God has called and created us to be.

Preacher: Rev. Bill Brown || Director of Congregational Vitality for the Baltimore-Washington Conference of the United Methodist Church

Scripture: Acts 17:1-9

What does faithful creativity make possible when the world resists change? This week we conclude our summer worship series, Godly Artists: The Role of Creativity in All of Us. Drawing from Acts 17, we will explore how the gospel calls ordinary people to imagine, embody, and proclaim a different kind of world—one shaped not by empire, fear, or self-preservation, but by the reign of Christ.

In Thessalonica, Paul and Silas are accused of “turning the world upside down” because their witness disrupts the powers that be and announces another king named Jesus. Their creative faith does more than offer new ideas. It forms a new community, tells a new story, and invites people to live according to a hope that unsettles injustice and reorders what we believe is possible.

Join us as we consider what it means, in our own time, to become Godly Artists who participate in God’s holy disruption, plant seeds of transformation, and offer our lives in service to the flourishing of the world. As this series concludes, we will reflect on how God’s Spirit continues to work through us, turning the world upside down, again.

Preacher: Min. Lee Schriber Aber

Scripture: ⁠2 Samuel 11:26-12:13a & Luke 10:25-37

What stories shape who we become? This week we continue our summer podcast series, Godly Artists: The Role of Creativity in All of Us. Drawing from 2 Samuel and the Gospel of Luke, we will explore how God uses the creative power of storytelling to reveal truth, awaken compassion, and call people toward justice.

As our nation marks the 250th anniversary of its founding, we will reflect on the stories we tell—about ourselves, our neighbors, and our country. Nathan’s parable confronts King David with the truth he could not yet see, while Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan challenges us to imagine our neighbors beyond the boundaries we so often create.

Join us as we consider how faithful stories do more than preserve our past. They shape our future, inviting us to become a people marked not by self-congratulation or fear, but by repentance, mercy, justice, and the reconciling love of Christ.

Preacher: Min. Lee Schriber Aber

Scripture: Psalm 104 & Matthew 10:37-42

What can creation teach us about community? This week we continue our summer worship series, Godly Artists: The Role of Creativity in All of Us. Drawing from Psalm 104 and Matthew 10:37–42, we will reflect on God as the artist of life, creating a world where every creature depends on the gifts of another.

Psalm 104 invites us to look closely at the beauty and wisdom woven into creation—springs that give drink, trees that shelter birds, mountains that hold refuge, and food that strengthens the heart. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus reminds us that welcome is not abstract. It is as tangible as receiving one another, serving one another, and offering even a cup of cold water to someone who needs it.

Join us as we discover how God’s creativity is revealed not only in the beauty of the earth, but also in the communities we build together—communities of care, welcome, justice, joy, and shared life for every living thing.